The D.C.-area based soul singer’s keen sense of perception comes from years of struggling in the music industry. Since leaving his small town after high school for the Navy and a brief stint in college, Governor has endured enough setbacks to justify the title of his major-label debut, Son of Pain. After toiling in odd jobs and independent ventures, Governor met the Track Masters and 50 Cent in 2001. Impressed by Governor’s gritty throwback vocals, 50 suggested a project that, at the time, was groundbreaking. “50 and I were supposed to do an album called The Best ofBoth Worlds, where he would rap and I would sing,” he says. “Tone and Poke took all that shit straight to R. Kelly and Jay-Z; there is no doubt in my mind.” (The Track Masters did not respond to several requests for comment.)
The BoBW experience was disappointing, but through 50 Cent, Gov met Jacques “Haitian Jack” Agnant, who became his business partner and negotiated a deal with Atlantic Records’ Craig Kallman. A cameo on guitar legend Santana’s 2002 effort Shamanfollowed, and soon Governor was recording with Dr. Dre. But Atlantic and Interscope couldn’t agree on terms, and the music was shelved. Governor asked for his release, but instead he was paired with T.I., his label’s most marketable MC. “I guess corporate was at wit’s end,” he says. “I was adamant about not doing it, but then I got a chance to hang with T.I., and he welcomed me into his camp.”
Now in the Grand Hustle fold, Governor celebrates his resiliency and even spins his arduous journey there into a positive. “It was all a learning experience,” he says. “That’s why now, I never move without getting my business right.”
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